Meet Gavin Plumley, cultural historian and frequent BBC radio presenter, author of A Home For All Seasons.

A winning combination of house history and the history of a place (in these fabulous borderlands where some of us are lucky enough to live) in the context of events in broader national and international history. Especially good to have vernacular architecture - rather than grand stately ‘omes - as the building that’s centre stage, telling its story

A Home for All Seasons is Gavin’s first book. A work of non-fiction, it has just been published in paperback.

Mixing history and art, memoir and landscape, A Home For All Seasons is grand in its sweep and intimate in its account of rural life

Gavin considered himself an urban being, until he met his husband, Alastair. Together they bought Stepps House in Pembridge (Herefordshire) on love at first sight. Then came the question, ‘how old is it’ with its ancient beams, the date they’d been given seemed out by centuries. As Gavin traced Stepps House through various hands and eras, he saw a past emerge that resonates powerfully with our present.

TICKETS

This is an unticketed event as we are running an author signing/reading at 4 o’clock daily during Hay Festival (flexibly between 4-5 as the authors are available – refreshments will be available).

At North Books, 4 Castle Street, Hay-on-Wye on Friday 2 June, 4pm.

THE AUTHORS

Gavin Plumley is a cultural historian. He appears frequently on BBC radio, has written for newspapers and magazines worldwide and gives talks at leading museums and galleries.

He grew up in Wales, before moving to London, and studied music at Keble College, Oxford. He lives in Herefordshire.